Machine for expanding sheet metal.



L. E. CURTIS; MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12,1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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L. E. CURTIS. MACHINE PORBXPANDING SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1911 Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

4 m rncyd L. E. CURTIS. MACHINE POE EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12,1911.

- 6 SHBETS-SHEET 3.

L. E. CURTIS. MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

' AYPLIOATION FILED I'EB.18, 1911. 1,01 1,588. Patented Dec.12,1911.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

L. E. CURTIS. I MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

IAIPP LIQATION FILED I'EB. 18, 1911. Dec. 12,

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

L. E. CURTIS. MAGHINB FOB. EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

APPLIOATIOI 211.111) rnn.1s, 1911. Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS E. CURTIS, OF KENILWOR'IH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMES STEEL LATHCOM- PANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

MACHINE FOR EXPANDING SHEET METAL.

Application filed February 18, 1911. Serial No. 609,486.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS E. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Ken'ilworth, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have inventeda new and useful Improvement in Machines for ExpandingSheet Metal, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for expanding sheet metal which hasbeen previously cut or slitted.

It embodies substantially the invention set forth in Letters Patent No.917715 granted to me April 6, 1909 and is an improvement thereon. Itsobject has been to obtain a construction having a wide range ofadjustment of the expanding devices so that the machine is adapted to beused in expanding sheets which are out with slits of differentlengthsand with intervening strands between the slits of different widths.

The invention consists in the novel construction of parts and devices,and in the novel combinations of parts and devices hereinafter setforth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure1 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is an endelevation of the expanding inechani'smf Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionon the line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the sheetlevelin mechanism. Fig. 6 is a vertical section 0 the levelingmechanism. Fig. ,7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig.6. Fig. 8 is aplan of one of the expander arms detached and Fig. 9 is a side elevationof the same-partly in sec- U011.

In the drawings 15 represents the frame of the machine and 10 is thedriving shaft actuated by pulley 17.

At65 and 69 are shown the two diverging expanding arms supported attheir receiving ends upon the horizontal rod 406, and at theirdlscharging ends they are supported one upon the uprights 400 and 401spliced.

together by a bolt 402, and the otherarm upon vertical supports 403 and404 united together by bolt 407. Under the support 404 'is an adjustinbolt 408 whereby the downwardly expan ed arm may be adjusted vertically.The upper arm is adjusted ver- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

tically by loosening the bolt 402 and retightening it after theadjustment has been effected.

The shaftlO carries a gear 18 meshing with a gear 19 on shaft 20, andthrough the gears 21 and 22 gives motion to shaft 23 .extending acrossthe machine. This shaft carries a gear 24 meshing with a gear25 on theshaft of a sprocket 26 and through such wheel and the chain 27 actuatesa second sprocket wheel 28 on shaft 29. Shaft 23 also carries a sprocketwheel 35 and through said wheel and the chain 36 actuates a sprocket 37on shaft 50. Shaft 29 carries a gear 30 which meshes with a-gear 31 on aflexible shaft 51, and shaft 50 carries a gear 53 meshing with a gear 39on a flexible shaft 54. The shafts 29, 50, 51 and 54 each carry wheelsadapted to receive and actuate the feedchains by which the sheets arefed through the expander. These chains and their carrying wheels arelocated in the expander arms hereinafter described.

The expander arms diverge from each other both vertically andhorizontally, andthey each consist of two metal frames or castings 65and 69, and they form housings for the chains 80 and 81 bearing uponopposite sides of the sheets and both thecarrying and the rotatingwheels of said chains.

The castings of each arm are bolted together by bolts 61 passing throughflanges 62 and the chains are confined in the castings by vertical sideplates 63. The arms and the expanding mechanisms embodied in them aresubstantially alike in construction differing mainly in the fact thatone is the reverse of the other and acts to force its sideof the slittedsheet upward while the other acts to force its side downward. The chainsare necessarily flexible and in order that they may exert the necessarypressure on the work, I place back of that course of each chain which isin contact with the work, devices acting to cause this pressure. Thesedevices in the case of each chain 81 preferably consist of rollers 56which are supported on eccentric pivots having bearings in the sideplates and in the castings 65 and 69, and also having arms '59 to whichs rings are attached. The springs are a so attached to adjustable bolts.66 passing through openings formed in'the zigzag portion 67 of thecastings, and their tension tends to causepressure by the rollers on thework, this being substantially the construction shown in my said patent.In the case of each chain 80, I use plain rollers 56 which are adaptedto support those chains against the pressure transmitted through thestock from the pressure devices acting on hains 81.

It is desirable that these expandin machines be adapted to expand sheetsdi ering from each other in the length of the slits cut in them and alsodiffering in the width of the spaces or strands between the rows ofslits, and to adjust them, for these differently cut sheets, I havedevised the following: The frame casting 65 of each expander arm isprovided with a vertical pivot 101 at its receiving end so that thedischarging end of such castings after they are unbolted from the parts69, may be swung on such pivots to carry them toward or away from theother expander arm and thus increase or decrease the divergence betweenthe two arms as required by the work being done. By thus varying thedivergence, the machine is able to expand sheets having the differentcuts. After the parts 65 have been adjusted to suit the work, they arerebolted rigidly to the parts 69, and the machineis then ready foroperation. In this adjusting operation, the angle between the drivingwheels of the chains 80 located in the parts 65 and their actuatingshafts 51 and 54 will necessarily be changed, and to prevent troublefrom this cause, I make such shafts with two or more universal joints 55and also give said shafts freedom to slide in their respective actuatinggears so that the shafts and chains accommodate themselves at once totheir changed relative positions after each adjustment and work asperfectly together as before the adjustment was made. It will be notedthat the bolts 61 uniting the castings 65 and 69 pass through elongatedslots in one of the castings so as to permitthe adjustment described.

After the sheet is expanded, I pass it between two opposing series ofstraightening or leveling rolls 7 0, 71, in frames 72 and 73 adjustablyunited together by screws 74 located preferably at the corners of theframes. The frames are supported by arcs 75 attached to the sides offrame 72 and entered in curved ways 85 formed in plates 76 attached to urights 77 resting on the base 78. The re] s are arranged at anangleto"'the vertical as shown, the same being the angle of the sheet at thetime it is discharged -.by the expander, but this inclination can be 1changed whenever necessary by simply loosening the bolts 79 which arethreaded in the ares and pass through the curved ways 85.

When the adjustment has been made, the

j bolts 79 are tightened so that the frames are sheet metal, havingdivergin rendered rigid as to position. The frames are adjusted atdifferent distances apart by rotating the screws 74 which may be done bymeans of the hand wheel 82, the shafts of the wheels being geared eachto two of the screws. The leveling rolls are arranged close to theexpander, and take hold of the sheets usually before they have beenentirely released by the expander. The rolls are actuated so that theycontinue the movement of the sheet received from the expander withoutchange in speed or direction, and this action is received from shaft 10through the-sprocket 90 and chain 91 by sprocket 92.0n shaft 93 havinganniversal joint 94 and carrying a bevel gear 95 meshing with anotherbevel gear 96 on a shaft'97 in frame 72. Shaft 97 carries a gear 98meshing with a gear 99 on the roll 120 of frame 72 and all the rolls ofboth frames are provided with individual gears taking motion from theroll 120 and the roll 121 of frame 73 geared with 120 so that all aredriven in unison. By means of the leveling rolls the sheets arestraightened and deprived of bends and kinks. Changes in the inclinationof the leveling rolls do not affect the driving of the rolls because ofthe universal joint 94 in shaft 93.

Upon the shaft 23 is mounted a feed roll 40, and a gear 41 meshing withthe pinion 42 on the journal of a second feed roll 43. These feed rollscoact in forcing the slitted sheets into the expander and the upper ofthem is supported in a pivoted frame 44 the pivot being shown at 45, insuch manner that the frame can be thrown over from its operatingposition to that shown in full lines in Fig. 2. This enables'access tobe had to the passing sheet. Vhen in acting position the upper roll isheld to its Work by springs 46. The feed rolls 40 and 43 deliver theslitted sheets between the stationary guides 47 and 48 which. conduct itto the expanding mechanism.

I claim 1. The machine for expanding slitted expander arms and means forfeeding t e sheet between said arms being each made in two parts and thecorresponding parts of both being pivoted at the receiving ends so thatthe discharging ends may be adjusted to increase or decrease thehorizontal divergence between them.

2. The machine for expanding slittedsheet metal, having diverglnexpander arms, and means for feeding t e sheet between said arms, saidarms being made each in two parts with one of the feeding chains in eachpart, and one part of each arm being pivoted atthe receiving ends sothat the discharging1 ends of the arms are rendered ad usta leorizontally to vary the distance between such ends.- i.

3. The machine for expanding slitted sheet metal having divergingexpander arms and means for feeding the sheets between the arms, eacharm being made in upper and lower parts and each part containing thefeeding device acting on one side of the sheet and one of the parts ofeach arm being pivoted atthe receiving end so that the discharging endsof the same parts may diverge varyingly from each other.

4. The machine for expanding slitted sheet metal having divergingexpander arms and means for gripping the fiat surfaces at the margin ofthe sheet and feeding it between the arms, said arms being each made intwo parts and each part embodying a portion of the feedin means, and oneof said parts of each arm being pivoted at the receiving end so thatthey may be horizontally adjustable at the discharging end.

I 5. The machine for expanding slitted sheet metal, having divergingexpander arms, and means for feeding the sheet be; tween said arms, thefeeding device of one arm acting on the top of the sheet, and thefeeding device of the other arm acting on the under surface of thesheet, being both adjustable at their discharging ends in a horizontaldirection to and from each other. 6. The machine for expanding slittedsheet metal, having diverging expander arms and feeding chains forcarrying the sheet between the arms, there being chains on both sides ofthe sheet'in each arm, two

of such chains one in each arm and on op 0- site sides of the sheetbeing both adjusta le horizontally toward or from'each other at theirdischarging ends;

7. In a machine for expanding sheet metal, the combination withdiverging arms and chains for feeding the sheet between the arms, thechains being horizontally adjust able, of shafts for actuating thewheels of such chains having universal joints accommodating the changesin position of the wheels in the adjustments.

8. In a machine for expanding sheet metal, the combination withdiverging, arms and chains for feeding the sheet between the arms, thechains being horizontally adjust able, of shafts for actuating thewheels of such chains having universal joints accommodating the changesin position of the Wheels in the adjustments and also having freedom toslide in the wheels.

9. The combination with a machine for expanding sheet metal, embodyingexpander arms which are adjustabletoward and from each other inhorizontal directions at their discharging ends to accommodate sheetscut with different lengths of slits, of mechanism for leveling orstraightening the sheets, such mechanism being adapted to take hold ofthe advance end of the sheet before the sheet has been wholly expandedand both said machine and said mechanism being adjustable as toinclination.

10. The combination with a machine for expanding sheet metal, ofmechanism for leveling or straightening the sheets, connected toa sourceof power by a shaft having a universal joint.

LEWIS E. CURTIS.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY .Enw. S. EVARTB.

